James T. Vandiveer, 74; Pioneer Sportscaster

James T. Vandiveer, who moved television cameras from football stands to football fields, winning his network an Emmy in the early days of live sports coverage, died of cancer Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was 74.

Vandiveer, a popular radio host on KFI before becoming producer-director of the football games ABC was broadcasting in the early 1950s, gave viewers a sense of greater intimacy when he got permission to take his cameras out of distant press boxes and photographers’ booths and place them on the sidelines.

A former reporter for the old Los Angeles Herald Express and a lieutenant on the staff of Adm. Chester Nimitz during World War II, Vandiveer had conducted “The Scouting Trail” show on KFI before moving to TV.

He did remote broadcasts in various Los Angeles locations, honoring Boy and Girl Scout troops and individual Scouts and their leaders. He held Scouting’s highest award, the Silver Beaver.

At ABC, Vandiveer also was in charge of special-events broadcasting on the West Coast. For the last 25 years he had been an advertising agency executive.

Vandiveer is survived by his wife, Eloise, a daughter, Kimberly Regnier, and his mother, Jessie Miller.

Memorial services are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Church of the Flowers, Forest Lawn, Glendale.